During the month of June, the drought peaked across the region. It held firm across the same areas since May with no expansion. What did expand was the severity as by the end of June, most of Central and East-Central Mississippi was now in extreme drought (D3) with some locations across Northeast Mississippi now experiencing exceptional drought (D4). The month of June did not offer much rain as most of the forecast area saw less than 40% of the normal rainfall. If you would go back to the start of the drought, the portion of the forecast area under the drought has only seen 5 to 20% of the annual rainfall. Historical climate sites are running some 15 to 20 inches below normal for rainfall with deficits now higher than the yearly total. With the drought conditions reaching extreme levels, area farmers and crops began feeling the effects. Many crops from corn to soybeans have been affected with yields forecast to be much less than normal by harvest time. The quality of the crops has been affected as well due to the dry conditions. The total losses will not be fully know until fall after harvest.